Pike-rescue apparatus



Get. 22, 1929. P. OBUCHOWSKI FIRE RESCUE APPARATUS Filed April 14. 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet l IN V EN TOR.

1929- P. OBUCHOWSKI 1,732,947

' FIRE RESCUE APPARATUS Filed April 14. 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 \\l\ \\\\\\\\\l \T II munmuum'unmwlmmw IN V EN TOR.

Patented Oct. 22, 1929 PATENT OFFICE PAUL OBUCHOWSKI, F STAIMFORD, CONNECTICUT FIRE-RESCUE APPARATUS Application filed. April 14,

This invention relates to improvements in means for aiding the escape of persons from a burning building, and it is the principal object of my invention to provide a braking device for the lowering cables, allowing a setting of the brake to suit the weight of the person to he landed.

Another object of my invention is the provision of a fire-escape which is simple and in- 10 expensive in its construction yet durable and eilicient in operation.

A further object of my invention is the provision of means for preventing the lowering cables from becoming tangled.

A still further object of my invention is the provision of a fire-escape equipped with means allowing a returning of the cables into their container when not in use and the convenient transportation of the same to the 29 place where needed.

These and other objects and advantages of my invention will become more fully known as the description thereof proceeds, and will then be specifically defined in the appended 25 claims.

In the accompanying drawing forming a material part of this disclosure:

Fig. 1 is a front view of the casing containing the apparatus.

Fig. 2 is a section through the same on line 22 of Figure 1, illustrating the fire-escape apparatus constructed according to my invention.

Fig. 3 is a sectional top plan view after re moval of the cover.

Fig. 4 illustrates the use of the appar 'tus on a building.

Fig. 5 is a sectional detail view of bracket.

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary detail view of the casing wall illustrating the weight indicator.

Fig. '4' is a fragmentary detail side elevation of the brake.

Fig. 8 is a sectional detail view of the brake uide.

As illustrated, the fire-escape apparatus is contained in a casing 10 on rollers 11 and closed by a cover 12 hinged to the casing at 13.

The front wall of the casing has an opening formed in its upper part, normally closed by a door 14 hinged to the front wall as at 15,

1928. Serial No. 270,035.

and adapted to be held in its closed position by a snap lock 16 or the like.

lVithin the casing 10 the fire-escape apparatus proper is mounted and comprises a shaft 17 mounted on a suitable bracket 18. This 55 shaft carries in close proximity or juxtaposition a pair of pulley wheels 19, 20 to which the ends of cables 21, 22 are secured, each equipped with depending sliding weights 23, 24 in front of said pulley wheels for prevente0 ing the cables from becoming tangled.

A bracket comprising two arms 25, 26 angularly disposed to each other has the lower part of its arm pivotally secured, as at 27, to a bracket 28 on the lower inner front wall of 65 the casing, while a strong spiral spring 29 is secured at one end to the extreme lower end of the arm 25 and at its other end to a bracket 30 secured to the inner rear wall of casing 10.

Both cables 21 and 22 enter the hollow arm 26 and are guided therein over pulleys 31, 32 pairwise arranged in juxtaposition, ano the cable 21 is guided under one pair of the pulleys, while the cable 22 is guided over the ther pair of pulleys. When not in use the cables are wound about pins 33, 34 on top of arm 26, and a guard 36 protects the pulley wheels and guides the cables.

A knob 37 has its shaft 38 extending into 80 the casing and has attached to its inner end, the end of a pull chain 39, the other end of which is guided through a bracket 40 attached to the inner front wall of the casing below door 14, so that a pull on the knob will swing arm 25 about its pivot 27 and swing arm 26 out of the door 14, while a spring 41 secured to the side of arm 25 at its lower end and resting with its upper end against bracket 40, tends to facilitate the inward movement of bracket arms 25, 26.

To one of the inner side walls of the easing a brake is attached, comprising a wheel 4-2 on shaft 17 adapted to be engaged on its periphery by a shoe 43 at the end of a screw bolt or rod 44 guided through the angularly disposed arms, 45, 46 of a bracket 47 attached to the inner face of the side wall of casing 10.

The outer end of screw bolt 44 is formed into a head 48 behind which a lever 49 is attached to bolt 44 extending through a slot 50 to the outside of the casing along which a scale 51 is provided, and an indicator 52 on arm 49 indicates the proper position the brake handle 49 must assume to accommodate the braking action to the weight of a person using theiire escape.

The brake shoe d3 slidesalong a dovetailshaped guide piece 53, secured to the inner side wall of the casing 10 by means of a screw 54 or the like.

As shown in Figure 4:, the deviceoperates as follows The be 10 is placed on .a r-window sill 55 or other suitable support, and the arm 26 is pulled forward tln'ough'the door 14, so that the cables can be unwound from the pins 33, 3d and wound upon the pulley wheels and a suitable net seat 56 secured to oneof the cables while the outer cable end is gripped by the hand of the person desiring to lower himse f, after *the brake has been properly adjusted by pointing the handle and its pointer to theproper weight on the scale. It will be clear that the cablesmay have any appropriate length to accommodate the same to tl e height of the building 57 and from the ground from which the person desires to lower himself.

It is to be understood that I have disclosed one example-of my device only and that I may make such changes as come withinthe scope of the appended claims without deviatien from my invention.

llavin g thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secureby Letters Patent is:

1. A tirc-escape-apparatus comprising a casing, a door therein, :ar pair of cables, a pair of pulley wheels in said casing to which the ends of said cables aresecured, a shaft for said pulleys, a wheel on saidshaft a pair of weights sliding on saidcables to prevent their becoming tangletha bracket on which said cables are normally stored allowing a winding upon said pulley wheels when to be used, and adapted to be projected with one of its arms through the door of said casing, and a braking meansfor saidpulley wheels adapted to engage said wheel'on the pulley shaft, and adjustable tothc weight of a person to be lowered from a burningbuilding.

2. in a fire-escapeapparatus oft-he class described, a casing, a shaft journalled in the side walls of said-casing,a pair of pulley wheels on said shaft, a pair of'cables having their ends sccured'to said pulley wheels, a brake wheel on said shaft and a brake 1nem ber adapted to exert apressureon said brake wheel, a means for engagingsaid bralrememher and brake wheel witha forcerpredeter mined according to the weight of the person using'the apparatus-to lower himself from a burning building.

3. In a fire-escape-apparatusiofthe-class described, a casing, a pair of cable pulleys, a shaft therefor, journalled in said casing, and a braking device for said shaft, comprising a brake wheel on said shaft, a brake member engaging said wheel, a means for slidably guiding said brake-member against and from said wheel, and a screw on said member, a means for guiding said screw, and a lever attached thereto and extending to the outside of the casing to indicate on a scale the amount of pressure to be exerted by said brake member upon said wheel in agreement with the weight of the person to be lowered by the fire-escape.

4-. In a fire-escape-apparatus of the class described, a casing, a pair of pulley wheels in said casing, cables for lowering persons, attached with their ones to said pulleywheels, a shaft for said pulley wheels journalled in tne side walls of said casing, one of said side walls slotted, and a braking device for said shaft and pulley wheels therein, said braking device comprising a brake wheel onsaid shaft, a brake member adapted to engage said wheel. with more and less force, a guide for said member, a dove-tail element secured to the side wall-of said casing on which said guide member slidably reciprocates, a bracket on said casing side wall having angularly disposed inwardly extending perforated arms, a screw bolt passed through the perforations of said bracket arms, said bolt carryingsaid brake member at its inner end, a head formed at the outer end of said member, a lever se- *ured to paid bolt behind said head and extending along the slotted side wall thereof, a scale on the outside of said side wall, and a pointer on said lever sliding over said scale for indicating the amount of pressure to be used in the braking action in concord with the weight of a person to be lowered by means of said apparatus from a burning building.

5. A tire-escape-apparatus of the class described, comprising a casing, a cover hinged thereto, rollers for allowing a convenient transportation of the casing, a door hinged to the front of said casing, a snap-lock for holding said door normally closed, a hollow bracket arm in said casing adapted to be projected through said door, a means for projecting said arm through said door, a pair of pulley wheels in said casing, a pair of cables secured to saidpulley wheels,pairwise arranged pulleys in said hollow arm over which the ends of said cables are guided, pins on said hollow arm for normally storing said cables, and a braking means for said pulley wheels an d cables allowing an adjustment of the braking force according to the weight of a person using the apparatus.

Signed at Stamford, in the county of'Fairfield and State of Connecticut, this 31st day of March, A. D. 1928.

PAUL OBUCHOWSKI. 

